Croft gets hold of this one at Porter and it rockets away for the fourth boundary of the innings.

Now we have an immediate change in the form of leg-spinner Adam Zampa, his bright yellow headband gleaming in the combination of evening sunshine and floodlights. A full toss in there to start but an inexpensive over.

Francis Edwards: Another fail from Liam in a big game. He really suffers from stage fright.

Image source, Rex Features

Here's the first wicket of the evening, not one that Liam Livingstone will want to see again.

Steven Mullaney
Nottinghamshire all-rounder on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

Evenly poised at the moment but Essex maybe slightly the happier with the early wicket.

If you keep within the width of the stumps, it looks like it will be tough to score.

Alex Davies has capitalised on any width so far with those two boundaries.

The blankets are already out as Jamie Porter takes up the attack and after three dot balls he is scythed to the cover boundary by Alex Davies, who then employs the fast hands again to cut a second four in the over.

Steven Mullaney
Nottinghamshire all-rounder on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

Massive wicket that.

You know as the opposition that Liam Livingstone is probably one of the biggest wickets you can take tonight - a real dangerman.

He'll be really disappointed to miss out there, but a fabulous start for Essex and Aaron Beard.

Had he connected, it would've probably ended up at Old Trafford!

The setting sun could well cause some problems for the Essex fielders but there is no need to run for this one from Liam Livingstone, stepping down the wicket and beautifully flicking off his pads for the opening boundary.

Steven Mullaney
Nottinghamshire all-rounder on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

He's faster than you think Aaron Beard.

I faced him in a Championship game earlier this season - he took four wickets, all caught down the legside.

So he's a bit erractic, but has some pace.

Essex's best chances here are to bag some early wickets....

Aaron Beard will begin proceedings, three wickets from his six matches to date. He'll be bowling to the right-handed Alex Davies.

There have been some fantastic costumes this summer haven't there? I'd like to know how the line-up was decided in this ensemble. "No I'm going to be the Jules Rimet trophy". It may be that a John Motson-style sheepskin overcoat is the order of the day this evening, it's going to be bracing when that sun goes down. But the fireworks have been unleashed on the outfield and here come the players.

Image source, Getty Images

Three Essex bowlers have reached double figures in the wickets column this year, the most successful to date being another leg-spinner, Australian Adam Zampa, who has 12 wickets from 10 innings, with two wicket hauls in each of his last two matches.

Image source, Getty Images

In terms of the bowlers, by far the most successful for the Red Rose has been 22-year-old leg-spinner Matt Parkinson - the youngest Lancashire player to take five wickets on his first-team debut.

Parky - as he must, surely, be known - has taken 21 wickets in his 11 matches - joint highest in the competition this year with Derbyshire's Ravi Rampaul - with a best of 4-30 on this very ground against Durham last month.

Image source, Getty Images

Bopara was in the line-up when these two teams met at the quarter-final stage back in 2010 and Essex chased down 183-6 to win by eight wickets with five balls remaining, Mark Pettini making 81 and current Kent coach Matt Walker (pictured) with four sixes in an unbeaten 74.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Evergreen former England batsman Ravi Bopara has made 117 runs without being dismissed in his last two innings. The 34-year-old averages 37 for the competition with 189 runs in eight knocks this year and a highest score of 70 not out against Surrey at The Oval last week.

Image source, Getty Images

Glenn Maxwell has been a big part of Lancashire's run to these quarter-finals with 291 runs in eight innings, including three half-centuries.

Will the Big Show be on song again for Lancashire tonight?

If not, the Red Rose possess a number of big-hitting threats at the top of their batting order in Liam Livingstone, Steven Croft, Dave Vilas and Alex Davies who have all struck more than 200 runs in this year's competition so far.

Steven Mullaney
Nottinghamshire all-rounder on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra

It's a weird one this for Lancashire. I was driving up here thinking, 'who's going to be playing for Durham?'

Lancashire had a few discussions about what ground was going to be right for them for this quarter-final and there's a similar dynamic to this one that there is at Old Trafford.

So Glen Chapple and the squad will hope it plays into their favour - they've also got a good record here in recent years.

Smith even hit a beach ball for four at Old Trafford. Not sure we'll see many beach balls in the crowd this evening, there are certainly some spare seats. But the sun is shining at the moment. How many Essex followers do you think will have made the journey? From Chelmsford to Chester-le-Street it's 263.4 miles or thereabouts.